As a high school teacher who has taught AP for many (over 20) years, I mustcome to the defense of the AP test. It is not perfect, but then if someonehas written a perfect assessment tool for calculus, I have not yet seen it.In fact, most if the ones i have looked at are not even close to the AP testin asking good questions.

It has been my experience that if a student learns calculus, that studentwill get a high score on the AP test. I suppose it is possible toartificially manufacture high scores by teaching to the test, but why dothat when it is not necessary?

We have been trying , with some success, to teach a course that will preparestudents to take Calc 3 at any university in teh country. I can not recall astudent who has told us she or he was not prepared for the next course. Ourstudents do well on the AP test since they know calculus and the test teststhat. We have always looked at the AP syllabus as a minimum standard that weshould rise above.

The test is good enough that commercial materials give students evidence ofstrengths and weaknesses but are not practice tests.